Blister display pack using molded pulp as backing material

ABSTRACT

A blister display pack includes two generally flat backing sheets joined together by an adhesive, and a clear plastic contained having a flat insertion portion held between the two backing sheets. A produce is housed in a protruding portion of the plastic container. The two backing sheets are made of a molded pulp material. Raised and/or recessed features are formed in the backing sheets to provide enhanced strength and rigidity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to product packaging, and in particular, itrelates to packaging for products suitable for store merchandising.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional blister pack for product packaging and display typicallyhas a clear plastic container with a flat insertion portion held betweentwo flat sheets and a chamber portion protruding from a cut in one orboth of the flat sheets for holding the product being sold or displayed.The flat sheets are typically made of corrugated cardboard, SBS boardand/or other materials, and at least one sheet provides structuralsupport for the display pack. The flat sheets are of a size that makesthe package suitable for store display. The product may be removed byseparating the two flat sheets or by cutting open the flat sheet or theplastic container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an improved blister display pack.

An object of the present invention is to provide a blister display packthat uses a molded pulp backing material.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe descriptions that follow and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims thereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, the presentinvention provides a display pack for a product, which includes a firstand a second backing sheet made of a molded pulp material, at least onebacking sheet defining at least one cutout, the first and the secondbacking sheets being join together by an adhesive material; and at leastone container having a flat insertion portion and a chamber portion forholding the product, the insertion portion being held between the twobacking sheets and the chamber portion protruding from one of thebacking sheets via the cutout. One or both of the backing sheets mayhave raised or recessed features formed thereon to enhance strength andrigidity.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display pack according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display pack of FIG. 1taken along the direction A-A.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show the display pack of FIG. 1 in an unassembled state.

FIGS. 4A-4C schematically illustrate the cross-sectional shape of theraised or recessed features on the display pack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention provide a blister display pack thatuses molded pulp as the backing material. FIG. 1 is a perspective viewof a display pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display pack of FIG. 1taken along the direction A-A (In FIG. 1B, the gaps between the variousparts are exaggerated for clarity). FIGS. 3A and 3B show the displaypack of FIG. 1 in an unassembled state. As shown in FIGS. 1-3B, thedisplay pack 10 includes two generally flat backing sheets 11 and 12adhered to each other to form a support panel. Each backing sheets 11,12 has a cutout portion 11 a, 12 a (backing sheet 11 is shown in FIG. 3Aand 3B). The display pack also includes two containers 13 and 14 eachhaving a flat insertion portion 13 a, 14 a held between the two backingsheets 11 and 12 and a chamber portion 13 b, 14 b protruding from thecutout portion 11 a, 12 a, respectively, to form a space to house theproduct 20. Although FIGS. 1A and 1B show two containers 13 and 14forming one space to house the product, the display pack 10 mayalternatively have only one container protruding from one of the twobacking sheets 11 and 12, in with case the other backing sheet does nothave a cutout. As another alternative, the display pack 10 may have morethan two containers protruding from a corresponding number of cutouts onone or both backing sheets. The number of containers and theirarrangements on the backing sheets depend on the product being packaged.

The containers 13, 14 are preferably made of a clear plastic material.In one preferred embodiment, the clear plastic material is vacuum formedplastic made of recycled water bottle flakes.

The backing sheets 11 and 12 are made of molded pulp. Molded pulp, alsoreferred to as molded fiber, is a packaging material typically made from100% recycled corrugated board and/or newspaper. The recycled corrugatedboard or newspaper is soaked and formed into a paper pulp, and moldedinto a desired shape. Molded pulp is widely used for protectivepackaging and for food service trays and beverage carriers. Preferably,due to environmental concerns, the pulp used in this application isunbleached. The molded pulp backing sheets 11 and 12 may have anysuitable thickness, depending on the size of the display pack 10. In oneparticular example, each molded pulp backing sheet is about 1/16 inchesthick for a display pack of about 6 by 10 inches in size.

The molded pulp backing sheets 11 and 12 are formed into desired shapesto provide enhanced strength and rigidity for the display pack 10.Preferably, raised or recessed features 11 b and 12 b are formed in thebacking sheets 11 and 12. Viewed from a direction perpendicular to thebacking sheets, these raised or recessed features 11 b and 12 bpreferably have elongated shapes extending across a substantial portionof the backing sheets. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, a raised feature11 b is shown as extending along and near the four edges of the displaypack 10. In one particular example, the backing sheets are about 10 by6⅜ inches in size, and the raised feature around the edges is about ½inches wide and about ⅜ inches from the edges. The arrangement of theraised or recessed features will depend on the shape of the backingsheets 11 and 12 and the sizes and locations of the outputs 11 a and 12a.

The cross-sectional shape of the raised or recessed features, viewedalong the plane of the backing sheets, may be a variety of shapes, someof which are schematically illustrated in FIGS. 4A-4C. FIG. 4A shows aportion of the two backing sheets 11 and 12 having respective raisedfeatures 11 b 1 and 12 b 1, which correspond to each other in locationsand are indented (protrude) in opposite directions in the assembleddisplay pack, forming a hollow channel therebetween. The cross-sectionalshape of the raised features shown in FIG. 4A is rounded, but it mayalso be triangular or rectangular, or any other suitable shape. FIG. 4Bshows a portion of the two backing sheets 11 and 12 having respectiveraised features 11 b 2 and 12 b 2, which correspond to each other inlocations but are indented in the same directions so that one is nestedin the other in the. As a result, the assembled display pack has araised feature on one surface and a corresponding recessed feature onthe opposite surface. FIG. 4C shows a portion of the two backing sheets11 and 12 having respective raised features 11 b 3 and 12 b 3, where theraised feature 11 b 3 corresponds to a flat area of the backing sheet 12and the raised feature 12 b 3 corresponds to a flat area of the backingsheet 11. In FIGS. 4B and 4C, the cross-sectional shapes of the raisedand recessed features are rounded, but they may also be triangular,rectangular, or any other suitable shape. In this respect, although thebacking sheets are described as being generally flat, they may have manynon-flat features or areas.

In the assembled display pack, the backing sheets 11 and 12 are adheredtogether by an adhesive material. In a preferred embodiment, theadhesive is a heat sensitive water based adhesive. One example is anadhesive made by Coating and Adhesive Corporation, product No.207-C-Enviroshell. A heat sealer device may be used to activate theadhesive and seal the two backing sheets 11 and 12 together. Othersuitable adhesives may be used. The adhesive material is applied to atleast a peripheral area of the backing sheets near the edges of thedisplay pack. It may additionally be applied to other (interior) areasof the backing sheets, or over the entire area of the backing sheets.

Preferably, the edge portions of the backing sheets are treated toincrease their tear resistance of the display pack. In one embodiment,the adhesive material used to seal the two backing sheets is selectedsuch that it increases the tear resistance of the display pack. Thewater based adhesive mentioned above achieves such a result. In anotherembodiment, polyethylene (PE) or polylactic acid (PLA) is applied (e.g.sprayed) around the edges of the backing sheets or over the entirebacking sheets. It may be applied on the inside or the outside surfaceof the backing sheets and on either or both sides of the display pack.The material may be applied before or after sealing. As mentioned above,the PE or PLA materials can be used to increase tear resistance, butthey should be used as little as possible so that the display pack ismore environmentally friendly.

Optionally, for a better appeal, printed sheets such as paper may beadhered to the backing sheet on one or both sides of the display pack,preferably in the flat areas of the backing sheets. The molded pulpbacking sheets can also be directly printed on. The display pack may bepegged for retail sale or be insert in trays for club stores. As anotheroption, small plant seeds may be embedded in the molded pulp backingsheets so that the backing sheets can be planted after use. There havebeen products such as greeting cards where small plant seeds areembedded in the paper, making it suitable for planting.

As compared to conventional blister packs, blister packs using moldedpulp backing sheets according to embodiments of the present inventionuse more recycled materials and are more environmentally friendly.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodification and variations can be made in the display packs of thepresent invention without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covermodifications and variations that come within the scope of the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

1. A display pack for a product, comprising: a first and a secondbacking sheet made of a molded pulp material, at least one backing sheetdefining at least one cutout, the first and the second backing sheetsbeing join together by an adhesive material; and at least one containerhaving a flat insertion portion and a chamber portion for holding theproduct, the insertion portion being held between the two backing sheetsand the chamber portion protruding from one of the backing sheets viathe cutout.
 2. The display pack of claim 1, wherein one or both of thefirst and second backing sheets have raised or recessed features formedthereon.
 3. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the first and secondbacking sheets each have a raised feature extending along all edges ofthe backing sheets.
 4. The display pack of claim 1, wherein thecontainer is made of a clear plastic material.
 5. The display pack ofclaim 1, wherein the adhesive material is a heat-sensitive water basedadhesive material.
 6. The display pack of claim 1, wherein the adhesivematerial is applied between the first and second backing sheets in atleast a peripheral area of the backing sheets.
 7. The display pack ofclaim 1, further comprising a polyethylene (PE) or polylactic acid (PLA)material applied to at least a peripheral area of the first and secondbacking sheets.
 8. The display pack of claim 1, further comprising acoating applied to at least a peripheral area of the first and secondbacking sheets.
 9. The display pack of claim 1, further comprising aprint sheet adhered to the first or the second backing sheet.
 10. Thedisplay pack of claim 1, wherein the backing sheets contains plant seedsembedded in the molded pulp material.